Aren't you tired?
by Ralf Jones
Summary: "Aren't you tired?" it was such a simple question and yet Lightning realized that she had no answer.


Another SazhxLightning one-shot for those of you who like this pairing

I think the characters are a little OOC, but is not that bad.

I own nothing.

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**Aren't you tired?**

**By Ralf Jones**

Everyone has breaking point…but she was way past that point and she was sure about that fact.

Humanity was trying to start anew in the now restored Oerba Village. Everybody else were quickly adapting to their new lives in this new world.

But not Lightning…

A peaceful life was not something she desired, a peaceful life gave her a lot of time to think, to feel those emotions that she hated.

Regret was the most powerful emotion in her heart.

Because of the pain she made Serah and Snow go through…

Because in the end she was not fast enough to stop Fang and Vanille from sacrificing themselves, even when that decision had saved them.

Because she was not able to act so happy and carefree like the others…

She was constantly taking part in missions and regular patrol just to keep her mind focused in something else, because of that she was rarely home, always away from Serah, Hope and the others.

But she was a soldier; the safety of the village and the civilians was priority. Protecting the village was her mission, nothing else was important.

That night she was reporting back to HQ, they were in need of a few extra hands for a routine patrol on the mountainside.

Her steps were short and slow…

She was in pain…

In soul and body…

Three broken ribs were keeping her from moving faster, a Behemoth had gotten lucky during an encounter on patrol, the force of the blow cracked her ribs and left her on the ground trying to regain her breath, and only the timely arrival of reinforcement had saved her.

3 weeks was the time for her recovery…

And there she was, out of bed holding her wounded body while she walked to HQ and it was only the second day after the incident. Of course Serah knew nothing of the matter and Lightning was more than happy to keep it that way.

Now there was no magic to heal her, potions were not enough…

Three weeks was a lot of time to recover, to think, to feel…

She was better off on the battlefield, keeping the village safe, keeping her mind focused on the mission.

And then she stopped…

"Where are you going?"

The soldier cursed under her breath and glared at the man that blocked her path.

Sazh stood a couple of feet away from her, arms crossed over his chest and a serious expression on his face.

"They need my help on HQ" she replied

The pilot was quick to take note of how she was using her left arm to hold her side "You are in no shape to go out".

Lightning cursed yet again "I don't have time for this Sazh and I'm not asking for your permission" her voice was colder than before but the old pilot made no move.

Spite her wounds, her Omega Weapon was out in a flash, the barrel point directly at her friend.

She was not playing…

"**Get out of my way!**"

The pilot remained on his position, arms crossed over his chest looking calmly at her.

"**Damn it, step away Sazh!**"

There was no reply or move…

She started to walk again, still pointing the Omega Weapon at the pilot; her steps were slower, holding her weapon up was causing her ribs to ache.

"**Move!**" she tried again, her voice was no longer cold, she sounded almost desperate.

The pain increased suddenly, her legs were shaking…

"**If you don't move…**"

_**Why?**_

_**Why won't you move?**_

The pain was almost unbearable at this point, holding her weapon up was a great effort for her wounded body.

"**If you don't move…I will shoot you!**"

She was in front of him now, the barrel of her weapon directly on his chest. He finally moved, uncrossing his arms locking eyes with her.

"Aren't you tired?" it was such a simple question and yet Lightning realized that she had no answer.

_**Tired of what?**_

_**Tired of feeling regret for her past mistakes?**_

_**Tired of throwing herself into battle after battle hoping to forget the past?**_

_**Tired of…not being able to be happy?**_

She was still gazing into his eyes, trying to find something, anything to help her find her answer.

She was still in pain…

She knew she was going to pass out, her body could only hold for so long.

And then she was going to wake up in her bed, surround by her dear friends and family, because he was going to carry her back home.

Because she knew that he was always taking care of everyone…

And somehow that thought made her smile, if only a little…

_**She was tired**_

_**Tired of pretending that she didn't feel emotions**_

_**Tired of watching everyone around her be happy**_

_**Tired of fighting a losing battle against her own heart and soul**_

The smile on her lips grew a little more, the old pilot was always trying to make her feel accepted, like she was actually capable of fitting in this new world with them.

_**He is always able to make her feel…normal**_

Her weapon fell out of her hand as she collapsed forward into the awaiting arms of the pilot; her body finally ran out of energy.

Yet…she was still smiling.

_**Maybe…she was in love with him**_

At that moment before her consciousness completely abandoned her, she felt his hand moving slowly, almost lovingly through her pink hair.

With a contented sigh, her eyes finally closed

"Rest, you spoiled little girl"

END

I hope this was fun to read to you guys!

Note: Sazh call Light "spoiled little girl" because that's how her parents called her before Serah was born. Well that's what I remember from the novel.

Please review!

Reviews make happy!

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